Virginia Tech hires Dwight Galt IV as new strength and conditioning coach

It seems like every day, Virginia Tech head football coach Brent Pry is adding to his coaching staff. On Tuesday, Pry hired former Hokie star Pierson Prioleau as safeties coach to finalize his defensive staff.

On Wednesday, Pry made another big hire, naming Dwight Galt IV as Virginia Tech’s director of football strength and conditioning.

Galt comes to Blacksburg from Old Dominion, where he had served as director of sports performance since January 2019.

What is his connection to Pry, you might ask?

Before his time at ODU, Galt was the assistant director of strength and conditioning at Penn State for seven seasons. Galt’s father, Dwight Galt III, is Penn State’s strength coach and has been since 2014. The elder Galt worked with Pry and James Franklin at Vanderbilt and Penn State.

The Galt’s have received praise over the years for the outstanding performances of some of Penn State’s athletes at the NFL Combine, such as Saqoun Barkley and Mike Gesicki, among others.

Before going to Penn State, Galt spent two years at South Carolina as a graduate assistant.

It’s hard to praise or criticize a strength coach because there are many unknowns. However, in just looking at Galt’s time at Penn State, the Nittany Lions put numerous players in the NFL, which is, in part, a credit to the strength staff.

I would argue that two of the most important hires for a new football coach are the offensive line coach and the strength and conditioning coach. Galt appears to be a good choice, and he provides the ideal blend of youth and experience.

There were plenty of complaints with the strength staff under Justin Fuente. Before Ben Hilgart, Virginia Tech had the legendary Mike Gentry as strength coach. Gentry was an integral part of Virginia Tech’s success throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

When Gentry was in charge, Tech’s players were not only strong but tough — and well-conditioned. Being tough wasn’t a slogan under Gentry.

Hopefully, under Galt, the days of “Hard, Smart & Tough” are gone, and we see that play out on the field.